Not Exactly A Fairy Tale
by Silus.S
Summary: Sanji has been in love with Nami for years, but when he finally decides to confess to her, he's shot down immediately, but vows to help her with her own love- a guy named Roronoa Zoro, but Sanji finds himself strangely becoming attached to him himself...
1. I'm Not Most People'

_You got designer shades  
Just to hide your face and  
You wear them around like  
You're cooler than me.  
And you never say hey,  
Or remember my name.  
Its probably cuz,  
You think you're cooler than me._

_**Cooler Than Me—Mike Posner**_

_~'I'm Not Most People'~_

Grand Line High was known all over the world as the famous fighting school. It wasn't particularly a violent school; if you didn't want to fight, you weren't forced into it. But most of the students found themselves enjoying a good one whenever they could. Perhaps it was because this was the only school that would openly allow devil fruit users to attend; the school was filled with highly competitive, strong bodied students. Everyone had some kind of skill to show off; even if it wasn't an athletic ability. It is in this school, where our story begins.

Like many stories, this one starts with a boy and a girl, unnoticed by anyone who was not searching, the two stood atop the schools roof. A first year girl and a second year boy. The girl was facing away from the other, clutching the wire railing that surrounded the roof. All colour faded to white as she stood facing the sun. The boy strained his eyes to see her clearly, the sun burning his across his vision. He wondered how she could stand facing it like that, but appreciated the smooth silhouette she produced. After what seemed like a lifetime, she turned to face him slowly. A soft breeze ruffled her orange hair and she raised a hand to tuck a few strands behind her ear. She raised her eyes to meet the boys own, a small frown on her lips. The boy stepped a little closer to her before she raised her hand for him to stop. He obeyed at once and waited for her to speak.

"Sanji, I'm really sorry," she mumbled, just barely audible to the boy, Sanji. "I really... I can't go out with you. I don't want to be with you." Sanji's breath hitched in his throat. He took another trembling step towards her, his hands outstretched. The girl stepped back, keeping the distance between them.

"N-Nami, why... After all... Is there... someone else?" Sanji let the words spill from his mouth, unable to form any coherent thought. He was in love with Nami; he was sure of that. So if there was any reason he couldn't be with her, he desperately needed to know. But he couldn't really decide if he wanted to know or not, the thought of her being with someone else grated at his heart. Nami took another nervous step back, her back leaning against the metal fence. She turned her eyes to the floor and fought the sprinkle of pink that graced her cheeks. Sanji took a step closer to get a better view of her face. She pursed up her lips and furrowed her brows.

"There's..." she chose her words carefully, closing her eyes and leaning her head against the railing. "There's someone I like." Sanji stumbled backwards. Nami raised a hand to hide her blushing face. She leant forward to look up at Sanji seriously. "He doesn't know I exist yet, but... I want to be with him no matter what! I'll... I'll make him notice me. I'll do anything!" Sanji stared at the girl before him. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, but was sure hers was doing the same thing. He felt terrible. He'd practically forced the poor girl into confessing her love for another man to him. He wondered if this was her first love, which made him feel even worse. You were only supposed to talk about such things with your best friend or your lover and here he was, making her blush before him, spilling her heart out. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to control his breathing. A soft sob left the girls lips and he opened his eyes immediately to see a stream of tears pouring down her cheeks. He stifled his own cry before rushing to hug his underclassman. She stiffened, but eventually leant into the hug, freely allowing her tears to dampen Sanji's shirt. For a while Sanji just held her before softly pushing her back to look her in the eyes, a look of determination on his face.

"I'll help you, Nami," he stated. Nami stared at him, a confused expression on her face. He pulled her into another hug, resting his nose in her hair, secretly sinking into the smell. "I'll help you make him notice you. It won't take much... You're so beautiful... It'll be okay." The girl contemplated the boys words before nodding her head slowly, finally fully returning his tight embrace.

"Thank you, Sanji-kun..." They stayed as they were for a little while, the sounds of distant birds and Nami's soft sobbing the only background sounds. Sanji hesitated, a question hanging on his lips.

"W-Who is it?" Nami stiffened and pulled away. Sanji scratched the back of his head, looking into the distance. "Uh... I need to know who it is, if I'm going to help you..." Nami glanced around nervously, not resting her vision on anything for more than a moment. Finally she conceded and drew in a deep breath.

"His name's Roronoa Zoro."

+x+x+x+x+

Usopp sighed deeply. He'd been on the phone listening to Sanji whine in his ear for over an hour. Sanji was his best friend, but too much of his moaning could drive anyone crazy.

"Well," started Usopp when Sanji was forced to stop talking for air. "If Nami's into this Zoro guy, there's not much else you can do about it." Sanji paused on the other end of the phone. Usopp rose from his living room sofa and paced the room. "But, why the heck did you agree to help her, wasn't that really dumb?" He stretched his arms above his head, waiting for Sanji to answer.

"...I just want to help her... Make her happy." Usopp sighed and stretched across his sofa.

"Yeah, but at the cost of your sanity?" Sanji snorted on the other end of the phone.

"It's fine, I'll be fine." Another pause followed and Usopp picked up his slingshot, stretching it with his free hand. "So do you know anything about this Roronoa guy?" Usopp nodded his head before quickly remembering Sanji couldn't see him.

"Yeah, just some trivial stuff." He dropped his slingshot to the floor and pulled a small notepad from the front pocket of his dungarees, flipping it open. "His best friend is that Monkey D. Luffy guy, y'know? The one with the straw hat?" Sanji hummed on the other side of the phone.

"Isn't that guy really nice? Is Roronoa nice too?"

"Actually, I hear he's pretty much an asshole." Sanji's brows furrowed.

"That can't be right, why would Nami like an asshole?" Usopp shrugged, stifling the laughter he felt creeping up his throat at the weird sounding question.

"They say that girls tend to like bad boys or something like that, don't they?" Usopp snickered at the annoyed huff his friend let out. He held his mobile to his ear with his shoulder and proceeded to inspect his nails, lifting his notepad with his free hand. "Looks like she met him through Luffy. She's been spotted hanging around with him allot lately."

"She's been with Roronoa allot too?"

"Nope, seems like Zoro only likes to hang out with Luffy and two other guys. Uh... Johnny and Yosaku. They're in the kendo club with him." Sanji hummed again.

"Then she's been admiring him from afar..." Usopp hummed back in response, yawning loudly.

"I guess it's something like that. Apparently she's been hanging around the Kendo grounds allot. She's probably been trying to get his attention or something."

"...Okay, thanks for that, Usopp. I'll see you tomorrow at school, ok?"

"Ah, wait! There's something-" _click! _"Else..." Usopp held his phone in front of him, an annoyed look on his face. "He makes me get all that information and then doesn't listen to the most important part... Oh well." Usopp stood up and stretched, letting out a long yawn before heading for his bed. "He'll figure it out tomorrow, probably."

+x+x+x+x+

Sanji hurried into the school. He'd usually hang around the gate, waiting for Nami to appear so he could escort her in, but he couldn't bring himself to face her just yet. He was very committed to helping Nami with her love life, and was completely willing to help her with anything she wanted to make her happy, but he was still a little crushed. He was completely in love with the girl and had his feelings shot down before he could even express them. He checked his watch and groaned when he realised he was half an hour early for class. He shrugged his shoulders and went to his classroom. If he was going to have to wait, he'd might as well get comfy. Sliding open the door, he was met by an appreciated empty class room. That is until he scanned the back of the room, finding a muscular boy sitting in the seat behind his. He recognised him as his class mate, but failed to even say hello to the man, moving to sit in his usual seat. Silence followed, Sanji leaning his head in his arms on the desk in front of him, completely intending to ignore the other boy and take a nice long nap.

"... Aren't you here a bit too early?" Sanji's eyes flickered open. He turned his head a little to look at the man behind him. His sight trailed up to look at the tuft of green hair sprouting from the man's head. He suppressed his laughter, silently wondering why he'd never noticed a guy with such ridiculous hair sitting behind him all this time. Well, it was only the beginning of the year, and he'd changed his usual classroom, so it was completely understandable not to recognise the boy sitting behind him. He'd probably been in the other classes before. Sanji processed the man's question and turned away.

"I usually don't come in this early, but here I am." He rested his head in his hand and listened to the silence surrounding them. "Anyway, you're one to talk, moss head." He heard an angry grunt behind him and turned just in time to see the flash of a pout before it completely disappeared and the boy regained his stoic gaze.

"I usually get lost, but I managed to get here early today." Sanji turned to face the front again and raised an eyebrow. So he was a new kid? That'd explain why he'd never noticed him before. Although, to be completely honest, Sanji always struggled to remember any of the male body, his interest lying only with woman. The silence returned, both boys struggling to continue the conversation. Sanji's stomach rumbled when he'd remembered he'd forgotten breakfast and he quickly pulled a lunchbox from his backpack. The boy behind him stared at him, smelling the delicious aroma of Sanji's bento. His stomach growled loudly and he cursed to himself from embarrassment. Sanji turned his head to study the other man before letting out a bark of laughter. He turned his seat around to face the other boy. The boy jerked his body back slightly, staring at Sanji with sceptical eyes. Sanji raised an eyebrow and placed his lunchbox on the other boys table, holding up a pair of chopsticks.

"What's with you?"

"W-What's with me?" Asked the boy, incredulously. "What's with you?" He gestured to the large box of bento. Sanji shrugged his shoulders, forcing his spare set of chopsticks into the other boy's hand.

"You're hungry, right? I heard your stomach rumble." Sanji lifted a foot to pat the other boy's stomach under his desk, who jerked back in response.

"I don't... Aren't you hungry too? I can't eat your food, and I don't have any money or anything..." he grumbled. Sanji shook his head and grinned. He liked honest guys like that.

"Its fine, I always make too much just for myself. Let's call it charity." The boy huffed and shot Sanji an annoyed look.

"I don't need your charity, cook!" Despite his words, he snapped the chopsticks apart and went about shovelling food into his mouth. Sanji grinned again and went about eating his own share. A peaceful silence passed between the two as they ate, neither noticing as the class began to fill up, Sanji was too busy thinking about his lovely Nami and her troubles to realise when the teacher was about to enter, so was silently thankful when his new companion patted his shoulder.

"Oi, Sanji, teachers about to come in." Sanji nodded and packed away his lunchbox. He thought it a little embarrassing when he realised he didn't even know the other man's name, but he knew his. He couldn't just ask what it was, that'd be too rude. So he silently resolved to listen carefully when the class register was being called. He froze when the man behind him raised his voice to answer to the name Roronoa Zoro. He silently cursed Usopp for having not told him such an important fact.

+x+x+x+x+

Sanji was forced out of his thoughts when he heard the harsh clang of the school bell signalling the end of class. He jumped again when he heard Zoro, _Nami's Zoro_, grunt and call out his name. He quickly packed his things together and went to rush out of the room before a large hand clamped on his shoulder, spinning him around. The room fell silent. Roronoa Zoro _never_ spoke to anyone in class, so he must have had a problem with the blonde prince. Knowing the blondes reputation, he'd probably stolen his girl. Not that Zoro had ever actually been seen with a girl, but it could still happen. Zoro ignored the other classmates, focussing only on Sanji. But he was completely caught off guard when faced with a blushing boy with slightly teary eyes. He stared at him for a moment, not sure what to do. He wondered if he'd upset him in some way, tracing his memory for anything he might have done wrong. He wondered if he'd gripped his shoulder too tight and dropped his hand at once. Sanji took the opportunity to dash out the door. Zoro could only stare at the space the blonde had until recently occupied. He raised a hand to cup his mouth, fighting his own blush. What the hell was wrong with that guy? What the hell was wrong with _himself_...?

+x+x+x+x+x+

"USOOOOOOOOPP!"

Usopp cowered in the hallway, recognising the angry voice of his friend instantly. He hid behind a group of girls in an attempt to avoid the man. Such an act proved fruitless when the man in question skidded on his heels to stop in front of the girls, showering them with compliments. Usopp ducked, earning a scream from one of the girls who thought he was trying to get a look up their skirts. Sanji ducked to protect them out of instinct, letting out a growl when Usopp sheepishly waved up at him from the ground. The air seemed to distort around the blonde and an annoyed smile spread across his lips. The girls scurried away when the blonde raised his leg above Usopp's head.

"No, wait, Sanji," cried Usopp, dropping to his knees before the blonde. "I've got a terrible disease! The If-You-Kick-Me-I'll-Instantly-Die disease!" Sanji cracked his neck above him.

"That sounds just perfect!" All that could be heard in the now rapidly clearing hallway were Usopp's screams and the loud laughter of the only person brave enough to hang around and watch the show. Usopp thought his heart would stop when he watched, in what felt to him like slow motion, a foot smash into the wall just beside his head creating a deep imprint in it. Usopp foamed at the mouth and dropped back to lie on the floor. Sanji knelt forward and lifted the boy by the collar of his shirt, obscenely bending Usopp's nose so he could get his face a little closer. More loud laughter erupted behind him, which he promptly ignored.

"Whatever I did I'm really sorry!"

"The most important fact and you didn't tell me?" Usopp instantly understood the situation and raised his finger to poke the blondes head in defiance, his attitude switching quickly when he realised he wasn't in the wrong at all.

"I _tried_ to tell you about that, but you hung up on me!" The watching boy nodded appreciatively at Usopp's sudden bravery.

"Don't you think you should have called me back about something like that? Or even a text at the very least!" He let go of the boy's collar, dropping Usopp limply to the ground before he shoot to his feet and crossed his arms in anger. He turned his head away from his best friend and proceeded to pout. "Seriously... Zoro was in my class all along?"

"Na? You know Zoro?" The two turned their heads to stare down at a boy crouched beside them. Usopp studied the straw hat that hung loosely from his neck, piecing the puzzle together.

"Hey, aren't you that Straw hat Luffy guy?" The boy nodded and gave a bright grin.

"That's me. You know Zoro?" Sanji's face paled a little and he turned his head, scratching at the back of his neck.

"Something like that," grinned Usopp, nervously. "That guy's in his class." Luffy nodded again and gave the two a once over. He rested his sight on Sanji, studying him carefully.

"So you're Sanji?" Sanji looked up at Luffy who had clambered on top of him, wrapping his legs around the cook's waist to make a more thorough inspection. He furrowed his brows. Luffy was infamous around the school for being a free spirit and choosing his friends very carefully. But why did he know Sanji? He was only really infamous around the girls. Luffy caught the sceptical look and tried to think of his excuses. "You're in the kickboxing club, right? But you practice Savate, right? And you do cooking too?" Sanji rested his eyes on Luffy for a moment before nodding his head slowly. So Luffy knew him from his club?

"Yeah, that's me..." Usopp looked expectantly at Luffy, crossing his arms and raising his nose in the air.

"And I'll bet you know the great Captain Usopp, right?" Luffy looked at him and blinked.

"Who's that? He sounds cool!" Usopp's jaw hit the ground and Sanji suppressed a laugh.

"H-How do you know that idiot and not me?" He raised a shaky finger to point at Sanji, who tossed his hair, a superior smirk gracing his lips.

"Ha? Who are you? I wanna meet that Usopp guy too." Sanji laughed through his nose and clapped a heavy hand on Usopp's shoulder, said boy having long lost consciousness.

"This guy here is Usopp." Luffy stared at Usopp once again before nodding his head.

"Well... You can't be captain, but you can be my nakama!"

"Nakama?" Sanji raised a sceptical eyebrow.

"Nn. I'll be friends with pretty much anybody, but only special people can be nakama." Both Sanji and Usopp blushed slightly at the comment. Luffy had a wonderfully earnest way about him that would overly exaggerate any emotion he was making you feel. Sanji scratched his nose lightly and looked up to the ceiling. Luffy grinned again and asked the two to join him for lunch. Sanji's thought's touched lightly on Nami. He usually waited for her every lunch, where she'd meet him at his classroom. He let out a dry laugh when he realised she'd probably only been doing it to catch glimpses of Zoro. None of that really mattered anymore as last night she'd told him to stop waiting because she wouldn't be calling on him anymore. She'd claimed it'd be too painful to see Zoro everyday like that. At the time Sanji thought that a little confusing, completely oblivious that the man had been in his class the entire time. Sitting behind him no less! He looked down at Luffy and finally nodded his head reluctantly, casting one last glance in the direction of his classroom before allowing Luffy to pull him along by his wrist.

+x+x+x+x+

"Ah? I can seriously eat this?" Luffy stared at the handmade lunch box Sanji had dropped in his lap.

"Yeah, I usually make a few." He handed another to Usopp and went about distributing chopsticks.

"He makes them for the girls, but only Nami ever eats them," explained Usopp. He noticed Sanji flinching at Nami's name, but directed his attention to his own food. No matter how painful it would be, he couldn't just stop mentioning the red headed girl. Not only was it hard to do when she was his friend too, but it wouldn't be good for Sanji to just bottle it all up and pretend she didn't exist. Luffy nodded his head thoughtfully.

"Oh, right, I get it now." He snapped his chopsticks apart and went about shovelling food into his mouth. He let out a loud satisfied burp when there was nothing left in his box and chuckled. "Man~! Zoro would be so pissed if he knew I was eating your bento right now!" Sanji glanced at Luffy with a questioning face. Luffy coughed and looked away, whistling. "Ah, you know, because you're well known about being the best cook in school and stuff." Sanji flashed him a confused expression before relenting and finally looking away, mulling over the suspicious behaviour.

"Oi, Luffy," called Usopp, looking out to the distance. "You usually eat with Zoro?"

"Nn," nodded Luffy. "Nami too most of the time."

"Ah, I see." Usopp turned his head to Luffy and pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. "So that's why they're both heading over here then?" Sanji froze, his face turning red. He breathed in deeply, trying to calm his fast beating heart. Usopp gave him a comforting smile. He nodded in reply. He knew there was no way around this, eventually he'd have to face Nami. And, thanks to last night, Zoro too. He had promised to help Nami and that was exactly what he was going to do. With that in mind, he stretched his mouth into a wide smile and watched the two approach. Sanji inwardly grimaced when he noticed Nami's arm wrapped daintily around Zoro's. But what annoyed him even more was the annoyed face Zoro was pulling every time he looked at said arm. He stretched his mouth even more as they came over. He couldn't hide the popping vein from Luffy, however, who looked at his face closely, studying it, humming thoughtfully. Zoro stopped in his tracks when he saw Sanji and Usopp. He looked at the floor and made his way up the hill to sit next to Luffy. Nami followed, looking a little nervously before sitting in the grass beside Zoro.

"You made it before lunch ended today!" Luffy smiled and patted Zoro's back.

"I had to show him the way though," smiled Nami. "I even had to hold his arm so he wouldn't wonder off when I wasn't looking!" She let out a small laugh and turned her head away to hide her blushing features. Zoro leant back and scratched at his neck, grumbling. He turned his head and studied the box Luffy held in his hands. Luffy grinned and held it up before him.

"I got to eat some of Sanji's cooking! Cool, hu?" Zoro looked away, a little nervously.

"I... Already ate some of his food today." Luffy's head darted from one side to the other looking at both Zoro and Sanji.

"Ah? You did? When? Why didn't I know about it?" Sanji turned to look down at Luffy before Zoro continued.

"We met before school... He shared some with me." Luffy nodded and studied Zoro's face again carefully.

"Like, outside of school? I didn't know you were friends yet, did you—_mph_!" Zoro clamped a hand over Luffy's mouth and proceeded to explain the situation. Luffy nodded and allowed himself to lie back in the grass, his hat covering his face. Sanji glanced over at Zoro and Nami. It pained his heart to admit it, but they really did look good together. Though he'd never admit it out loud, Zoro was pretty good looking. It went without saying that Nami was incredibly beautiful, so when the two were together, one's eyes were attacked from all fronts. He blushed again and turned his head away from them. He secretly wondered if he'd look as good with Nami. He doubted it. No one could look as good as those two. He became lost in his thoughts, not noticing, or perhaps ignoring, the conversation around him. It was only when a large hand hesitantly clasped his shoulder did he snap back into reality to face Zoro himself. The man seemed to hesitate before motioning to the school with his thumb.

"Lunch is over, Curly-Sue." Sanji couldn't hide the scowl that spread across his face. How he hated this man! He stared at him for a second, studying his face a little more carefully. The other boy just stared back at him, an unreadable look on his face.

"Sanji-Kun, are you ok?" Nami peaked behind Zoro's shoulder. "Luffy and Usopp already went ahead; it's time for class now." Sanji turned his head to smile at Nami, his vision resting on Zoro for only a short moment. He stood up, collecting his things and walking behind the two; just slow enough for them to keep a short lead on him. He slowed down when Zoro stopped in his tracks, waiting for the blonde to catch up. They each looked at each other in annoyance for different reasons. Nami gave Sanji a short glance, her lips pursed. Sanji got the idea and briskly walked past the two. If Nami wanted to be alone with the brute then of course he'd grant her wish. Even if it was painful for him. Of course it wasn't that big a deal. They'd only be walking down the hallways a little, it wasn't like they were actually together yet. Sanji still had hope that Nami would see what an idiot Zoro really was and come running back into his arms. This plan was ruined, however, when Sanji heard the tell tale signs of heavy boots stomping towards him.

"Oi, what's with you?" Zoro jumped in front of Sanji, forcing him to stop walking. Sanji stared at the boy as if he were stupid causing him to shift nervously on his feet. Sanji let out a deep growl.

"Where's Nami-San?" Zoro's eyebrows furrowed.

"How the hell am I supposed to know? She's probably gone to class." Sanji turned his head to scan the hallway Zoro had appeared from. When he was satisfied Nami wasn't trying to find them, he brushed past the other boy, making his way to his classroom. A strong hand clamped around his arm, stopping his movement.

"Oi," called the swordsman. "Why are you acting like this?" Sanji just barely turned his head in response.

"I always act like this." The low, almost violent tone of his voice sent a warning shiver down Zoro's spine. He could feel the malice laced in his voice and felt his blood pumping a little faster. He was aching for a fight, but suppressed the feeling, choosing to stare holes into the back of the blondes head instead.

"You weren't acting like this this morning." Sanji stilled for a moment before breathing in deeply and turning to face the other man face on. Zoro took note of the slight blush on his face just barely hidden by an angry scowl.

"Nami-San," stated Sanji, simply. Zoro stared at the boy like he was a hard puzzle Zoro was trying to solve. He drew in another deep breath and continued. "How do you feel about Nami-San?" The question hung in the air like a bad smell. Zoro had visibly stiffened, his face scrunching up in distaste.

"Is that any of your business?" He rested his arm against the wall behind Sanji, leaning into his face so the other boy felt incredibly uncomfortable. "Do _you_ like Nami?" Sanji's face turned beet red, his head turning away from Zoro's to face the ground from embarrassment. Zoro lingered by the blonde for a moment before straightening his back and clicking his tongue. "So you're acting like this out of jealousy? How pathetic." With that the boy turned on his heels and strolled down the corridor to enter their classroom. Sanji raised a hand to cover his mouth.

_The way Zoro was talking... Does that mean he likes Nami in return?_ Sanji leant against the wall for a while trying to steady the pounding in his chest. So it was really all over for him? He leant his head back against the wall and closed his eyes, drawing in deep breaths. He opened his eyes again in resolve, turning to stride confidently into his classroom. He ignored the shouts from his angry teacher and stared at the green haired boy sitting at the back of the class. He mumbled out apologies and took his seat, fully intending to ignore Zoro for the rest of the day. He chanced a glance at the other boy, aiming to give him an angry scowl to show him he didn't care what he thought, when he was completely taken aback. Zoro was grinning. He whipped his head to the front quickly, hiding his blush. What the hell was that? Zoro had been grinning at him. Sanji couldn't put his finger on it exactly, but the man had looked almost _kind_. Coupled with the fact it had been directed at him, Sanji had to wonder what this Roronoa guy was really like. Hadn't he heard he was an asshole? But that didn't fit the look he'd just given him before. Perhaps he'd given his Nami that look too? That would certainly explain allot, especially how his beautiful swan had fallen for the moron in the first place. He jolted out of his thoughts when he felt a foot nudge his back. He turned around to look incredulously at the boy behind who had his chin resting in his hand and was nonchalantly looking in the other direction. Sanji narrowed his eyes before turning again to face the front. A minute passed before Sanji felt another foot tapping his back. He let out an angry growl and this time turned to see Zoro grinning at him cheekily. Sanji was a little shocked at the boy's new reaction and turned back quickly. His face was a bright red and his heart beat a little faster. He had to think on _why_ he was blushing, but quickly decided it was from anger. How dare the boy kick him! Even if his face only suggested he wanted to play with him, it was still annoying... right? He broke from his thoughts when he saw a folded piece of paper land on his desk. He stared at it for a while with a look on his face that would suggest the note had just spoken to him. He tentatively stretched his hand forward to touch the paper, dragging it slowly towards himself. He unfolded it carefully as if a monster would jump out at him from the folds if he wasn't careful enough.

[_You pissed off at me?_] Sanji read over the words a few times before turning his head to stare at the boy behind him. He was resting his chin on his hand again, but this time his serious eyes were resting on Sanji. He held the gaze for a moment before turning back around in his seat to stare at the paper again. He re-read the message before lifting his pencil and scribbling down on the paper, tossing it behind him when he was done. Zoro fiddled with the paper a little nervously before reading the reply.

[_Not particularly, but that doesn't mean I like you. I hear you're an asshole._] Sanji was straining his ears, so was happily satisfied when he heard Zoro laugh softly from his nose. When he saw the blur of white sliding past his cheek to delicately land on his desk, he picked up the paper with a bit more haste than the last time to read the scruffy handwriting.

[_That's probably right._] Sanji let out a snort.

[_Most people aren't usually happy about that kind of thing._]

[_I'm not most people._] Sanji grunted at the last line. He didn't know how he knew it, but he felt that line was very Zoro. He was getting agitated at the way it didn't bother him when Zoro had rested a foot against his back and how it seemed they'd easily clicked despite their dispute over his lovely Nami. Even more of a mystery was why he'd completely forgotten about the girl until then. He found it completely frustrating that this guy he'd known for five minutes had thrown him so much off his game and broken his walls so easily. This was why he raised a hand for his teacher's attention.

"Sir, Zoro's trying to pass notes to me! It's distracting me!"

"What?" Sanji laughed good naturedly when he saw the incredulous look Zoro was shooting him. Maybe this Zoro guy wasn't so bad?

+x+x+x+x+

When the bell sounded for the final time that day, Sanji heaved out a steady sigh and collected his things. He felt a little frustrated that the guy he wanted so desperately to hate turned out to be not all that bad. And the worst part? He was exactly Sanji's type of person, someone he could easily see himself becoming friends with. He drew his weary eyes to look at the hand Zoro had clapped around his shoulder.

"Oi, wanna walk home together, question?" Sanji furrowed his curly brows at the nickname, but turned to face the other boy, scratching the back of his neck thoughtfully.

"Depends on where you live."

"Only a couple blocks away, opposite the park." Sanji's eye widened just a little.

"Me too..." Zoro let out a broad smile and nodded his head, almost knowingly. Sanji watched him with suspicion as he gathered his things. Zoro hadn't even raised an eyebrow knowing that they lived so close together. Although he supposed it wouldn't be that surprising to think he lived around the area, he'd probably come to this school for the small commute. They walked to the shoe lockers in relative silence, Sanji still eyeing Zoro with suspicion. He changed his shoes hastily, trying to ignore the other boy.

"Eh?" Sanji looked up upon hearing the small uttering from Zoro, who was looking at a small letter as if he were trying to read the scrawling of another language. Sanji rose to his feet to peer over his shoulder. His face reddened when he noticed the feminine writing and small drawn hearts littering the piece of paper. It was a love note.

"S-Sorry! I shouldn't have looked!" Sanji turned abruptly, trying to keep his eyes from reading the name signed at the bottom. Zoro looked at the blonde and then at the letter, stuffing it into his pocket with a small, half hearted growl.

"Don't worry about it, I get 'em every once in a while." Sanji peered over his shoulder. So he got them so often he could just stuff them into his pocket without a second thought? Jealousy struck Sanji at once. What he wouldn't _give_ to be able to stuff love notes away without thinking about it, but he got so few, so far apart, that he held every single one with high regard, reading them on a regular basis. So that meant Zoro was popular amongst the girls then. That wasn't unthinkable, Sanji thought, when even Nami had developed a soft spot for him. As the two left the school to lazily walk out the gates, Sanji had to drift his eyes over Zoro. Actually, if one were to look closely, _really fucking closely_, added Sanji's mind, Zoro wasn't actually all that bad looking. He guessed. He wasn't entirely sure what to look for when deciding whether or not a man was good looking. He was a fully committed ladies man, after all. Zoro could feel Sanji's gaze on him, and had been feeling it since he'd found that annoying note. He turned his head to catch the blonde staring at him, who promptly let out a yelp and turned his red face to stare straight on.

"Sorry, didn't mean too, uh..." _Fuck, __**stare.**_ "A-Are you gunna read that letter?" Zoro stared a second more before sniffing and fishing the note from his pocket.

"I guess. I'll look at it when I get home." He held it towards Sanji. "Why, you wanna read it?" Sanji looked at him, a shocked expression on his face.

"Of course not! That's a private letter!" He pushed Zoro's outstretched hand away and quickened his pace just a little in an angry stomp, offended by the simple _idea_ Zoro had offered to let Sanji read the note. Even if he was that tiny, minute, teensy weensy little bit curious about who would find the moron attractive enough to confess their love to him. He shook his head abruptly at the thought. "What if you wrote a love letter to someone and _I _read it."

"If... _you_ read it?"

"Yeah, you'd be really pissed off, right? Think how embarrassing that would be." Zoro let out a snort.

"Yeah, guess you're right." Zoro stopped in his tracks, his hands on a small metal gate. "This is my stop." Sanji looked over to regard the apartment building with interest.

"Ah? You live right across the park from me." Sanji turned to point to an old fashioned looking building decorated like a fish. "It's a restaurant, but I live above it." Zoro nodded his head, leaning back on the gate.

"I'll probably visit some time. Food I usually eats' shit anyway." Sanji grinned at the roundabout compliment before nodding his head and turning to leave.

"See you at school tomorrow," called the blonde, waving as he went to hop over the small park fence. Zoro leant against the gate to his apartment building, watching the blonde as his figure got smaller to finally disappear into the previously mentioned restaurant. He never thought he'd ever walk home with Sanji, he always assumed the man thought of himself as being a little bit higher than Zoro. Too cool to even remember his name, let alone glance at him like he had done that same day. He let out a deep sigh and turned to go into his own room. He needed a shower.

+x+x+x+x+

The next day found Sanji arriving at school half an hour early. He cursed himself for being so stupid, but couldn't help the small sense of excitement he felt creeping around his stomach. He'd packed too much food that day by far and needed to get rid of it somehow, and that was the reason he was secretly hoping the shitty swordsman would be already in class. He felt his own mouth widen into an enthusiastic grin when his eyes rested on the dozing moss head. He raised his foot to dip into the back of his skull earning a satisfyingly muffled grunt.

"What the hell do you want, cook?" Sanji remained silent as he pulled out his box of food. He'd never admit it, but it was a specially-for-Zoro made lunch. He'd enjoyed how Zoro had appreciated his food before, and was always happy to feed someone who would be happy about it. Zoro stared at the box for a moment, his mouth watering with the thought of a delicious breakfast. Sanji lent back in his chair, unable to help the wide grin that pulled his mouth.

"You gunna eat that or are you just going to stare at it?" Zoro needed no more invitation and quickly went about gulping down the delicious food. He couldn't help but notice Sanji leaning back in his chair, a smirk on his face and his chin resting on the back of his fingers.

"Bwap buu wookin ab?" When faced with the confused look on Sanji's face, Zoro hastily swallowed and tried asking again. "What you looking at?" Sanji smiled again and shook his head, moving to open his own lunch.

"Nothin'."

Yeah, he could see himself becoming attached to this man.

Even if he _was_ a complete idiot with ridiculous hair.


	2. I'm Still Waiting'

_So you see, as everything gets mixed  
And from the heart to your lips, I become your puzzle  
Your laugh screams I should let you go  
Before losing grip and giving up  
'cause I will never ask so much of you  
You already treat me like a big child  
And we don't have anything to risk anymore  
Apart from our lives we leave beside_

_And he still loves me, and I love you a bit more  
But he still loves me, and I love you a bit more_

_**Comme des Enfants- **__**Coeur de Pirate**_

_~'I'm Still Waiting'~_

The last two weeks had gone by like a dream for Zoro. He'd been able to train without interruption every day, the boxing club hadn't been trying to muscle in on the dojo grounds, that annoying Nami girl hadn't been hanging all over him like before, and he'd been getting on very well with a certain blonde haired, blue eyed cook. They'd been talking every day in class, passing each other notes when the teacher wasn't looking. Sanji had also been joining him and Luffy for lunch along with Sanji's friend Usopp, who, although being a bit cowardly, seemed to be a very kind and loyal guy. He'd been extremely grateful to eat nothing but Sanji's cooking for both breakfast and lunch. Of course, if he wanted to eat his breakfast, he'd have to wake up at ungodly hours in the morning just to make sure he made it to school on time, what with the school deciding to move around whenever it felt like it, causing him to wonder around aimlessly until he found it, but he found he didn't much mind that. He thought of it as another form of training. Although he'd often find himself sitting alone in their classroom a few hours before Sanji would show up, half an hour before class.

Which had been the exact situation that day. It would be three hours till he'd see his blonde friend, and he didn't want to waste it. With that in mind, he shifted a few desks out of his way and proceeded to train. He started with squats, seeing how many he could do in an hour, followed by one handed, upside down push ups and finally moving to sit ups. The odd girl would poke their head through the classroom door and snap a photo at him. He had no idea why the hell they'd want a photo of him when he was all sweaty, or what they would do with it, but he didn't particularly care either, as long as they didn't disturb him. When he eventually heard the tell tale sounds of school shoes tapping on the wooden floors coming to stop at the opposite side of the room to him, his face pulled into a grin.

"You're earlier than usual," smiled Zoro, taking a quick check of the time. Sanji was just a little more than ten minutes earlier than the usual time he showed up. Not that Zoro would complain about that. When he heard no answer, he shifted his body to look at Sanji. His eyes widened when he realised it was not Sanji, but Nami stood in front of him. His face scrunched to a scowl as he stood up. He wasn't particularly keen on the girl usually, so when he'd thought Sanji would be standing before him, his distaste for her grew just that little bit greater. When he noticed her running her eyes over his naked torso he turned at once, reaching for his shirt and adjusting it around him quickly, tucking it into his haramaki, failing to do up even one button. While moving the desks and chairs back into place, he let his mind wonder to question why he'd mistaken Nami for Sanji in the first place. He couldn't help the grin spreading across his face when he thought that Sanji must walk like a girl. Nami watched his smiling face carefully.

"Were you expecting someone else?" Nami winced when Zoro's smile disappeared to be replaced with a scowl. He finished arranging the room and sat at his desk, his chin resting in his hand.

"Yeah, and I'm still waiting." Silence hung heavy in the air. Nami kept her gaze on Zoro, studying him carefully as he sat silently staring at the door. When the silence became too much for her, she drew in a deep breath and span Sanji's seat around to sit facing Zoro. Zoro stared daggers at her. It somehow pissed him off that she so easily sat in the other man's seat, like she owned it. He had to wonder why he disliked the girl so much. At first he'd felt completely indifferent towards the girl, easily able to stand her presence, but lately... Something had been nagging in the back of his mind.

_Ah. Maybe that's it._

"Who are you waiting for?" Nami had to squeeze the question out. Her thoughts touched lightly on Sanji. She wondered if he'd felt the same way talking to her as she felt towards Zoro. She stared at the man, patiently waiting for his answer. When she received none, she ventured another question. "Is it... your girlfriend?"

"That wouldn't be such a good idea," snorted Zoro. He couldn't help the laugh that followed. He secretly wondered how that conversation would go. Probably not very well. It was extremely clear Sanji had nothing but eyes for women, particularly the one sat in front of him. And as for Zoro... Well, he wouldn't be having a relationship with anyone anytime soon. He wasn't the type. Nami bit down on her lip, her eyebrows knitting together a little.

"Then, someone you like?" Zoro gave her an incredulous stare. He scratched his chin, not able to help the smirk that stretched across his lips, turning his head to silently watch the door.

+x+x+x+x+

Sanji hummed as he pushed through the school doors. For some reason, he'd been in a pretty good mood for quite some time now. He twirled the shopping bag he held in his right hand and strolled down the school halls. He'd been eating with Zoro a lot lately, so packed twice the amount of food he usually did. The guy ate almost as much as his new friend Luffy. Not that he was really complaining about that. He was always truly happy to feed people and hear what they thought about his food. In particular he enjoyed feeding his swordsman friend. He enjoyed people with picky tastes in food; it gave him more of a challenge. Zoro wasn't predominantly a picky eater, but he wasn't so inclined towards sweet foods. He liked fish and rice and anything that went well with alcohol. Though Sanji knew that if he were to make a chocolate cake with candyfloss decorations, Zoro would still eat it with a smile on his face. Of course, that having been said, not once had he thanked him for his food or even complimented it. It didn't bother Sanji much though. He could tell Zoro enjoyed it, perhaps even appreciated what he did for him. One only had to look at the wild smile on his face to see that. So that was why Sanji now found himself practically skipping down the hallways, a heavy lunch box gripped in his hand. He wondered why he and Zoro had been so buddy-buddy lately, and why he'd been trying so hard to get to school half an hour earlier than was necessary, but pushed the thought away, sliding open the door to their classroom. His heart seemed to stop when his sight rested on Nami sitting in his seat facing Zoro who had an honest smile on his face. Said smile instantly dropped when he saw him standing in the doorway. Sanji's hand clutched his bag just a little tighter.

"Ah? N-Nami-San?" Sanji took a step towards the two, his hands outstretched. Nami turned towards the voice, letting a half smile appear on her face. "I'm sorry, were you talking to Zoro? I didn't mean to interrupt."

"You're not interrupting anything, she is." Sanji and Nami both shot their heads around to look at Zoro, who was only looking at Sanji, ignoring Nami's presence completely. "I was waiting for _you_ after all." Sanji shot him a death glare. How dare he say such a thing to his precious Nami? Even if she wasn't really his... He walked to Zoro's table, plonking his bag of food down upon it before casting a smile at Nami.

"Nami-San, I just realised I have something to do today, would you mind eating this food I prepared?" Zoro shot to his feet, grasping the cook's wrist.

"Oi, that's _your_ food. What do you think you're doing?" Sanji's head drifted lazily to regard Zoro with distain.

"I just said; I've got something I need to do."

"Then," started Zoro, desperately trying to keep Sanji's attention on him. "What about mine?" Sanji let out an angry snort and turned his head away.

"Yours is still there, moron. Eat it with Nami-San." Zoro scowled and began to shake his head when Sanji raised a foot to rest dangerously on the side of Zoro's desk in silent warning. "You _know_ I don't like when people waste food, so don't." Zoro went silent. He knew Sanji's love of food was as strong as his love for his swords. He didn't want to break the trust he'd struggled so hard to claim by treating his love, Nami excluded, with anything other than the utmost respect. He let out an angry growl before dropping back into his seat, hastily opening the boxed food. Sanji let out a triumphant breath and moved for the door, patting Nami's shoulder in reassurance as he passed. Nami's sight lingered on Zoro who had ceased in his movements to watch Sanji leaving the room. She furrowed her brows when the man continued to shovel food into his mouth after hearing the door close with a click. She hesitated before picking up the second pair of chopsticks, staring at the food for a moment.

"Eat it all." She jerked her head up when Zoro mumbled out the words between the tips of his chopsticks. "He doesn't like to waste food and he can be a real bitch when he's pissed off. I don't need to listen to him whine, so don't waste any." Nami stared at him for a second before jolting back to reality.

"Yeah, I won't waste any. I know what he's like already, remember? You don't need to tell me." Zoro raised an eyebrow at that. Of course. He'd completely forgotten that Sanji and Nami had known each other for years. According to Usopp they had grown up together. Nami must know countless things about Sanji; stuff he himself would never know. But on the other hand, he knew things too. He'd seen things Sanji would never dream of showing Nami. Like his violent side. The way his face would scrunch up and his veins would pop out when he yelled loud enough. Or even the way he would growl under his breath and chew on his bottom lip when he was craving a cigarette. He drew his thoughts back together and raised his rice laden chopsticks to his mouth. He chewed slowly, wondering why he was thinking about the cook so much. It was probably just because he was eating his food.

"You know a lot about the shit cook?" Nami raised her head to study Zoro.

"I guess I do." She looked down at her food, noticing how Zoro had already eaten the majority of his. "Why are you so interested?" Zoro met Nami's gaze with an unreadable stare. "It's... unlike you, isn't it? To take interest in people?"

"Not really," mumbled Zoro, lifting his lunchbox to scrape the remaining grains of rice into his mouth. "I'm also interested in Usopp too. They're friends, so of course I want to know about them."

"But you haven't been asking about Usopp all this time." Zoro shook his head, sniggering at what Nami was implying with her questions.

"Yeah, but I don't have any interest in fighting Usopp." Nami raised her brow in question. Zoro leant forward in his seat, raising his hands to emphasize his words. "You know that I'm a fighter, right? Well, I love to train. I'm aiming to be the best after all. Sanji would be the perfect sparring partner. He's not as weak as he looks." Nami nodded her head at the words. She could understand Zoro's reasoning. Actually, she didn't even need to hear his explanation to know that he was looking for great sparring partners. His explanation was perfectly understandable. But in the back of her head, she still felt a nagging voice telling her it was too much. Zoro was _too_ interested in Sanji for him to just be looking for a punching bag. She examined Zoro's elated face as he spoke about the blonde. Her heart beat just a little faster as she looked at his smiling features. It was something she, or anyone else for that matter, saw so little of. She wondered if Zoro saw her as his friend yet, but held back the question, a little afraid of the answer. But still, she loved this moment. She loved that Zoro was only talking to her, grinning like a madman as he explained his goals. For that, she was completely grateful, letting a wide smile stretch her lips. She looked around the room, a little embarrassed when she realised Sanji and Zoro's class had began to file in and take their seats at their desks. She blushed at the angry whispers from girls who clearly didn't like her talking to their Zoro and decided it was her time to leave.

"Zoro, I'll... see you later?" She shifted on her feet, nervously waiting for an answer. Finally Zoro let out a grunt.

"If you're going to continue to stalk us, then I guess I will." Nami couldn't help the grin that stretched her lips. That was an 'I'll see you later', right? Well, it was the best anyone had ever gotten out of the lone swordsman so far. She took it happily and went to quickly escape the classroom. Zoro growled when he realised the witch had left him to clean up their mess. He picked up the boxes and chopsticks, carefully placing them in the bag Sanji had left behind. He then sat back in his chair, ignoring the girls that came to him to ask about Nami and waited for the cook's return. Said return hadn't been as quick as he'd hoped. Sanji had strutted into the room not five minutes before the teacher himself walked in. Not only that, but it felt to Zoro that Sanji was avoiding him. He'd only looked at Zoro once when he leant over his desk to retrieve his bag. Much to Zoro's distain, it was a cold look. One laced with anger or annoyance, Zoro couldn't tell which one. His notes had been read and ignored just as quickly, and when Zoro slipped off his shoe to nudge at his back, (Sanji had banned him from keeping his shoes on when he nudged him due to the messy mud marks he'd accidently left on his shirt one unfortunate morning) he found himself being ignored further. Zoro growled to himself, unable to concentrate on anything other than the damn cook. Why was Sanji ignoring him? Or perhaps the more important question was why did he care about it so much? When the bell rang through the room to signal the end of class and beginning of lunch, Zoro reached forward and grabbed the back of Sanji's chair, jerking it towards himself. Sanji let out a yelp, his arms and legs flailing around at the unexpected movement. Sanji's eyes grew wide when Zoro gripped his chin and forced his head to lie back on his desk, Zoro staring down at the blonde with a frown on his face. Sanji's own face scrunched up and an angry growl left his lips.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, you damn shitty marimo?"

"Making sure you don't run away." Sanji's face reddened and he jerked his head forward to bite down on Zoro's thumb. The class turned to stare when they heard the most unnatural yelp the man had ever made leave his mouth. Sanji snickered when Zoro released his grip on both him and his chair.

"Why would I run away from you, moron?" Zoro stood up to chase after the blonde, clutching his thumb in his free hand.

"Because you've been acting like a prissy bitch all day!"

"Is it so wrong to want to actually do a little work?" Sanji snorted when Zoro mumbled behind him. Zoro bumped into his back when Sanji stopped abruptly. He growled in annoyance and looked over Sanji's shoulder to see what had distracted the cook. His good mood dropped when he saw Nami peering up at him.

"Are you going to meet Luffy and Usopp?" Sanji nodded his head. "Mind if I go with you?" Sanji's head seemed to blur at the speed he was nodding it. He jumped to Nami's side, taking her hand and offering to escort her there personally and explaining exactly how much of an honour it would be to take her there. Nami smiled politely but kept glancing back at Zoro as if to tell him she wasn't interested in Sanji at all. Zoro frowned at that. Had the girl no tact? It was clear Sanji was head over heels for her, and yet here she was pretty much shouting out to Zoro that she wasn't at all interested. Now he remembered why he disliked the girl so much. He trailed behind the two, glaring at Nami's lingering pace. He felt the sun warm his back as they stepped outside; making their way to the hill they usually spent their lunch loitering upon. Nami lingered behind Sanji, waiting for Zoro to sit before she could take her place next to him.

"Luffy and Usopp aren't here yet," grunted Zoro, pulling Sanji by the arm to sit next to him, a tree to his left. Nami hesitated before sitting to rest her back on the tree, just ahead of Zoro.

"They're probably in trouble about something stupid."

"They're in the same math class right now, right?"

"Ah, think of how much trouble they'll be in now, being in the same class..." Sanji crossed his arms and shook his head in mock disapproval earning a loud laugh from Zoro, who was slapping his knee in mirth. The two sank into easy conversation, laughing and joking with each other, as well as the odd insult flying back and forth. Nami watched on in annoyance. She just couldn't understand how Sanji could speak to him so easily after being around him for little more than a week, when Nami had been hovering around for the whole two months they'd already been at school and she _still_ couldn't get him to utter more than a sentence to her at any one time. She rested her head in her hands and stared out to the school, silently appreciating Zoro's deep voice. She was brought out of her thoughts when Sanji appeared in front of her, handing her a lunch box.

"Nami-San, the others aren't back yet, but we're going to go ahead and eat." Nami hesitantly took the box, watching Zoro literally pour food into his mouth out of the corner of her eye. Sanji retreated to his original spot, picking at his food half heartedly. He'd been hanging out with the marimo for little over a week now, and it was time for the honeymoon to end. He'd promised he'd help Nami and that was exactly what he was going to do, whether he liked it or not. With that in mind he began thinking up a plan as they watched Luffy hurtling towards them, having clearly used one of his rubbery techniques, pulling a terrified Usopp in his arms.

+x+x+x+x+

Back in class, Zoro found himself staring at a note flying to land carelessly on his desk. He eyed the boy sitting in front of him suspiciously. It wasn't uncommon for the two to pass notes during class, but Sanji was very rarely the one to instigate them. He stared for a second more before pulling his hand forward to clutch the note between calloused fingers.

[Oi, dumbass, go out with me.] Zoro spluttered loudly, earning the attention of the class, everyone turning to stare at him. He pounded on his chest and turned to the teacher uttering out a sorry. Sanji raised an eyebrow at him before turning to face the front along with the rest of the class. Zoro picked up his pen and hastily wrote his reply, flicking it quickly to the blonde.

[Why What are you tak talking about, moron?]

[There's this movie I wanted to see tonight but Usopp can't make it. Want to go out with me or not?] Zoro let out the breath he had been holding, trying desperately to steady his racing heartbeat. He felt like an idiot for misinterpreting Sanji's words.

[Yeah, I'll go, what do you want to see moron question?]

[Tears of the Angels.] Zoro wrinkled his nose.

[What are you, a girl? That's a chick flick, dude.]

[I know that idiot, just give me your phone number.] Zoro blushed at that. He'd been very happy with the progression of their friendship so far. Giving him his number seemed almost intimate. Far more intimate than he'd ever thought he'd be with the cook. He drew his pen up to messily scribble down the digits, handing back the paper just a little bit nervously. Within seconds he heard the loud music of his ringtone playing out to disturb the class. Their teacher glared at him in disbelief before shouting at him to stand outside the classroom. He grumbled and took one last look at Sanji who was grinning wildly, poking his tongue out at him as he passed. He had to wonder when Sanji had become so cheeky with him, but was secretly thankful for it as he stood in the hallway, storing the new number on his phone. He grinned when he saved it under the name 'love-cook'.

+x+x+x+x+

Zoro shuffled on his feet. When he'd gotten home that day, he'd tried his best on his appearance, wearing his newest clothes, and even his newest underwear, but much to his annoyance, the heavens decided to open up and spit down on him until he was drenched and all his efforts had gone to waste. He stood under the canopy leading into the cinema, wringing out his haramaki and shaking his body much like a dog would. He wondered what the cook would think if he saw him doing that. He had to wonder why he'd go to all the extra effort he had when it had come to Sanji asking him to accompany him to the cinema that night. He could easily blame it on the blonde; when he had been texting Zoro a time and location (a hand drawn map accompanied the text in the form of a photo), he gave him strict instructions to not turn up in rags and at least put _some_ effort into his appearance. Zoro found such a demand a little odd, but put it down to the cooks prissy attitude when it came to appearances; especially his own. Why he'd actually obey the command, he was unsure, but there he was; brand new black slim fitted jeans tucked into black boots, his trademark green haramaki serving as a cover to the top of his jeans, a red and white striped shirt he'd neglected to button all the way up hanging from his muscular physique. Not that any of that mattered anymore, he thought angrily as he scrubbed his wet hair, trying to get all the moisture from it. He raised his head when he heard a loud snort and saw a pair of green converse all-star trainers stopping in front of him. He snapped his head up to see his blonde friend, hands in his pockets, a cigarette hanging loosely between his lips, smoke streaming into the night. He regarded the man carefully. He wore slim black jeans, much like his own, but they suited Sanji so much better, seemingly melting against his skin, making his legs look a million miles long. He wore a slightly rain damped white shirt that clung to his slim frame, a pair of green headphones hung around his neck blaring out a popular jazz band. Zoro took in the cook's appearance, committing it to memory. This was the first time he'd seen him outside of school and he didn't want to forget it. Sanji stared back at the man, taking his appearance in much like Zoro had just been doing to him. He circled the swordsman, taking in his whole appearance before standing in front of him to do up a couple more buttons on his shirt.

"Not too shabby, I suppose." Zoro grunted and turned his head abruptly, refusing to look at the annoying cook, feeling the tips of the cooks fingers graze against his chest.

"We seeing this shitty movie or what?" Sanji snorted and nodded his head, dropping his spent cigarette to the ground.

"Yeah, yeah, wait here and I'll go buy the tickets." He walked past Zoro to pull open the cinema doors, joining the small queue that lay inside. Zoro silently watched the cook go, mentally confirming that those jeans looked equally, if not better looking from behind. When no matter how hard he squinted he couldn't see the cook anymore, he looked out into the street. The cinema wasn't too far from the park they each lived around, so they'd be able to enjoy a walk home together at least. The rain had cleared up too, leaving the air with that crisp feeling that came just after a heavy shower. He breathed in the clean air deeply. He seemed cool and stoic as ever on the outside, but on the inside he was a ball of nerves. He wondered why Sanji had asked him of all people to go with him to see some shitty romantic flick when he could ask any girl he wanted and they'd have probably complied. Yes, Zoro was well aware of Sanji's popularity around the girls at school, even if the shitty cook himself didn't realise it. So was he implying something with this trip? He snapped out of his thoughts when said cook walked back towards him, fiddling with his phone. He glanced up at Zoro and then up the street as if he was expecting something. Zoro raised his eyebrow at this and glanced at the phone the cook was constantly checking.

"You okay?" Sanji's head shot up to look at Zoro before snapping his phone shut. He let out a little cough and looked to the side, a little nervously.

"Ah, no actually," he murmured. His eyes drew up to look up at Zoro, studying his reactions carefully. "Sorry, something just came up and I think I have to go." Zoro's heart dropped just a little at the words and he nodded his head a little disappointedly. He quickly noticed the curious look Sanji was giving him and came up with his excuses.

"Shit, uh, do you want to just walk home together then?" He inwardly groaned at himself for sounding so pathetic, but held Sanji's gaze, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Actually, I already bought the tickets, so..." He handed the two tickets to Zoro, holding up his phone. "I don't want to waste the tickets, so I called someone else. Uh, hope you don't mind." Zoro processed the information before Sanji's expression changed to a wide smile and the cook ran past him to wave enthusiastically at someone. Zoro turned to his horror to see none other than Nami timidly walking towards them, her hand in Sanji's while he grinned at her like an idiot, escorting her to Zoro's side. Zoro let out an angry growl when the cook turned to look at him again.

"What the hell, _cook_?" Sanji narrowed his eyes when Zoro completely ignored Nami and looked only at Sanji, not once regarding the girl with as much as a how do you do. "Did you plan this from the start?" Sanji growled at the swordsman, raising his finger to jab at Zoro's exposed chest.

"Are you a moron? Why would I be lying?" He shoved the tickets into Zoro's chest once again, Zoro raising his hand to cup over Sanji's. He silently prayed the cook couldn't feel how fast his heart was beating, but put it down to the utter anger he was feeling right then.

"Dammit cook, I don't like being lied to." Zoro tightened his grip around Sanji's hand, making him wince a little.

"Zoro," started Sanji, glancing at Nami. "Please excuse us for a second, Nami-San." Nami gave a little nod and stood awkwardly under the cinema's canopy. Sanji took Zoro's wrist, pulling him down the stairs and into the street, well out of earshot of the poor Nami. When Sanji had stopped, Zoro ripped his wrist out of his grip.

"So you planned this all along?"

"Zoro..."

"I actually thought we were friends, but it was all just a trick to get me to go out with that girl?" Sanji's eye widened at the words. He blushed deeply and shook his head. How much of an idiot could this guy be?

"That's not... What it is..." He held up the tickets again, his grip so tight his knuckles had started to turn white. "I just... Go see the movie with Nami-San. I don't want to waste the tickets." Zoro snorted and turned on his heels.

"Who cares about the tickets?" Sanji sucked in his breath and twisted his body to stand in front of Zoro again, peering at his face. Couldn't Zoro see how hard this was for him? He'd loved Nami for so long, yet here he was, trying to convince a guy he barely knew into going out with her.

"Zoro." He paused, steadying his breath and closing his eyes. For Nami-San. "Please." He hated what he was doing, pleading with the swordsman. He absolutely hated it. But he had promised Nami and he would never go back on his word. Not for anything, even if it was killing him to say and do these things.

Zoro stared at Sanji's face carefully. He really resented Nami for what she was doing to the cook. Worst of all, she had Sanji wrapped around her little finger, and she knew it. Much to his surprise, he also hated to hear Sanji pleading with him. This was not the cook he knew at all. With that in mind, he raised his hand to snatch the tickets from him. Sanji gave him a half hearted smile in thanks. Zoro took note of how forced it looked and pushed passed him, stopping to turn around and look at him again.

"This is your doing, shit cook. Don't regret it." With that, he turned on his heels to climb the steps where Nami stood in wait. She gave a little jump of excitement when Zoro approached her. Zoro studied her carefully. She didn't wear much make up, she really didn't need it. Her face was really a top notch one, easily making her one of the best looking girls in school. In Zoro's opinion, however, her overall look was ruined by the tiny dress she wore. It was far too revealing for Zoro's taste, he preferred it when girls covered up, leaving it to the imagination. He found that far more attractive than the tiny dress Nami had adorned. He wondered how she even managed to squeeze into it. Maybe it was painted on? He guessed it would probably be really cold too; she was only wearing a pink shawl to cover her tiny shoulders. As they walked up the stairs Zoro resisted the urge to look back at the cook he knew was watching them, but when he reached the door, holding it open for Nami, he couldn't help turning his head to search for him. Sure enough, Sanji was still standing at the bottom of the stairs, watching them, his headphones already over his ears. For a moment they just stared at each other, before Zoro promptly turned on his heels and followed Nami into the cinema.

+x+x+x+x+

The movie had been a terribly boring ordeal for Zoro. He even found himself nodding off halfway through, completely ignoring the heavy advances from the girl who sat beside him. If it were possible, she had been even clingier than she was at school, constantly trying to attract his attention or hold his hand. Zoro found it endlessly annoying, so was completely elated when he was woken up by the credits music. He grunted and stretched and stood abruptly, making his way out of the cinema quickly, forgetting completely about Nami, who trailed behind him, trying to keep up with his quick pace. When they stood under the canopy, examining the outside world, it had been obviously raining again. Zoro let out another yawn and went about turning his phone on, checking for messages and the time. Nami shuffled on her feet expectantly for him. He turned his head, shooting her a look as if to ask what she was still doing there.

"Zoro, aren't you, uh... Going to walk me home?" Zoro raised an eyebrow and snorted. In all honesty, he didn't really want to walk her home at all, but he was also well aware of his embarrassingly terrible sense of direction. The walk from his home to the cinema would usually only take about fifteen minutes, but he'd easily taken an hour to make it there that night. With that in mind he decided to concede to her whims.

"Yeah, whatever, we live close together, right?" Nami nodded her head, chasing after the man when he abruptly started walking away. He grunted when he regarded the excessively high heels the woman wore. He slowed his pace so the woman could gratefully catch up and keep up with his long strides.

He looked at her expectantly when they reached Nami's house. She hesitated, standing at the gate. She turned her head to Zoro and opened her mouth to talk, Zoro raising his hand to silence her before she could even utter a word.

"What you did tonight. Don't ever do it again." Nami furrowed her brows in confusion. "Don't use the cook like that, I don't like it." This time, Nami frowned angrily.

"If you're thinking tonight was all me, you're wrong." Zoro took a step back, confusion evident on his face. Nami sighed and continued. "I didn't even know about all of this until he called me about an hour before I met you, he did it all by himself." With that, she turned towards her house, fumbling for her keys in her absurdly tiny purse. When she turned around to take one last look at Zoro, he had disappeared.

All Zoro could do was go through Nami's words in his mind. If the cook had set all of this up, why didn't he just say so when he was offering the tickets? And if he loved Nami so much, why was he doing all of this to get them together. It was entirely frustrating to Zoro when he tried to understand the cook's weird behaviour. It seemed like he was a completely incomprehensible man. If Zoro had someone he liked, he'd do nothing but try and keep that person near him, damn everyone else. Of course, his brain contradicted himself, he was not doing that at all. There was someone he was completely interested in, and yet he had done nothing at all to get them, in all the years he had known them. His mind was racing with a thousand thoughts at once as he glanced over at the park. He looked over to see the dim lights of an old restaurant shining in the distance. He hesitated for a moment before walking with momentum towards the park, cutting through it to walk towards the old restaurant using the dull light as his finish point so as not to get lost on his way there. He'd just have to ask the cook himself.

In the darkness, he noticed a figure huddling on a park bench, barely visible under the dim light of a street lamp. Zoro went about ignoring the figure until a glint of golden hair caught his eye and he found himself staring down at the soaked form of Sanji. An undistinguishable spluttering noise left his throat as he reached a hand out to the figure, trailing a hand through damp, golden hair. Sanji froze for a moment before looking up at Zoro, a frown scrunching his face.

"...Yo."

"What do you think you're doing, you idiot? You're soaked!" Zoro pulled off his shirt, popping the buttons off in places before wrapping it around the slender boy before him. He shivered in the cold air and went about rubbing Sanji's arms, worried he'd catch a cold.

"Ah, yeah... Didn't feel much like going home right now." A low growl left Zoro's mouth as he pulled Sanji to stand up, wrapping his arms around his body to try and keep him warm.

"Moron, have you been out here all this time?" He felt Sanji shrug his shoulders in his arms.

"Dunno, guess so. Movie over?"

"Yeah, it was shit, I fell asleep." Sanji let out a muffled laugh.

"That so? I couldn't have fallen asleep with Nami-San next to me. She's way too much of a distraction." Zoro grunted at that, tightening his grip just a little more.

"Cook, why did you set all that up tonight? I thought..." He hesitated at the words, squeezing his eyes shut. "I thought you liked Nami." Zoro's eyes shot open when he heard a muffled cry. Sanji pressed his nose into Zoro's collarbone, his hands trailing up to scratch into Zoro's naked back.

"I... like her," mumbled the blonde. Zoro trailed his hands from Sanji's arms up to his hair, gently brushing his fingers through the golden strands. "I like her, Zoro, I love her...For so long, I've loved her..." Zoro's mouth dipped to frown again, burying his nose in wet hair.

"Then why..."

"I want her to be happy," replied the blonde, "I really do. Even if it's with... with you." Zoro felt Sanji's grip on his shoulders tighten a little more, digging his nails into the man's shoulder blades. Zoro winced slightly at the cooks actions, but only tightened his grip around Sanji's shoulders a little more, burying his nose into the cooks head and taking in the smell. He felt Sanji's tears trail down his collar bone and let out a soft sigh.

"Damn love cook..."

+x+x+x+x+

Sanji's face turned a deep colour, almost a mix between red and purple as he skulked into his classroom. He drifted a nervous eye to the back of the room, resting on Zoro. He let out an uneasy groan before making his way to his seat, spinning it around to plonk a boxed breakfast in front of the other boy. The prompt smirk that graced Zoro's face made Sanji recoil back in embarrassment. He felt like a complete moron for the way he had acted the night before. Honestly, he actually _clung_ to Zoro in tears! That was really not something he had wanted to do, but it had happened and sadly, there was no way to change what was in the past now. He'd have to live with the embarrassment forever. He sniffed loudly as Zoro reached forward to grab at his food, distracting the swordsman enough to make him stop in his tracks. Sanji rested his hand over Zoro's, his way of gaining his attention.

"Oi, Zoro, uh..." he hesitated, trying to pick the correct words to properly express himself without seeming like an idiot. "Last night, uh, I was probably sick or something. Water was leaking out of my eyes for some reason. Probably had a fly get in there or something, you know how it goes. Anyway, could you not, like, _tell_ anyone about it?" Another grin stretched across Zoro's face and Sanji was suddenly all too aware of his hand. He pulled it away with a jolt and scratched at his nose. Zoro lent back in his chair, scratching at his chin, his eyes never once leaving Sanji's. When he felt Sanji had squirmed under his gaze long enough, he shut his eyes as if deep in thought and let his smirk disappear into a soft, reassuring smile.

"I won't tell anyone you got snot all over me. I don't really want to remember any of that myself; you're pretty gross on the quiet." He lent forward and gripped his meal once again, studying the way Sanji's features had softened. As he dug into his food, he let a lazy eye wonder to Sanji, who was opening his own meal up. He studied with great interest the way the boy brought food to his softly parted lips. Feeling a little uncomfortable about the way he was staring now, he decided to break his nervousness with conversation. "So you've got a big thing for Nami then?" Sanji flinched very slightly before nodding his head in a slow yes. Zoro snorted. That was the best he could come up with? As if the cook didn't feel like shit enough already? "Hn. So, I'd appreciate it then if you didn't throw her at me every chance you get. She does enough of that without you helping her."

"She doesn't _throw_ herself at you... She's too much of a lady to do that." Zoro snorted, raising Sanji to shout and bitch at him about the million ways Nami was a lady. He knew he was baiting the cook, but it was far too much fun to stop himself now. He loved to see the cook flustered and defending. So that was the way he spent the rest of his day, damn everyone else.

As the rest of the day progressed, Zoro had to constantly wonder what Sanji really thought of him; an insecurity he wasn't very used to. For this reason, he found himself constantly studying the blonde. To him, Sanji seemed like an extremely honest guy, someone who would easily sacrifice his own desires to make the people he loved happy, much like the way he was doing in their current situation, thrusting Nami upon him constantly. It was something Zoro found completely stupid, but also had complete respect for. Unfortunately, another trait Sanji seemed to have was to treat Zoro like a big child, much to the swordsman's distaste. Of course, he didn't hate it completely. Somehow it seemed like Sanji treated Zoro a little differently to everyone else. He wondered, perhaps, that maybe he trusted him just a little bit more than everyone else. After last night it was clear he trusted him a little, enough to be able to cry in front of him at the very least. Zoro found it amazing just how much their friendship had progressed in the space of such a short time; a little more than a week. Sanji was very much like a puzzle to the swordsman, but one he didn't mind working on. He found he enjoyed his smile quite a bit; his laughter was like a soothing kind of music Zoro couldn't quite place his finger on. In conclusion, Zoro supposed, Sanji did like him quite a lot.

But Zoro liked Sanji just a little bit more.


End file.
